Ivana Damien George: Interdisciplinary Artist

Meet Ivana Damien George, an interdisciplinary artist based out of Boston, Massachusetts. Ivana is a professor at Bridgewater State University, the school that both of us here at No Sleep New York graduated from! Co-founder Sara Kelley was lucky enough to be able to be a student in many of Ivana’s classes, and was enthused to learn even more about her former professor and her works. Today we will take a closer look at who Ivana is, and what her art stands for.

The Fine Art of Ivana Damien George is available for exhibition, acquisition, lease, publication and licensing. Also, check out Ivana’s free mobile wallpapers for your phone or tablet, exclusively for her fans and for #nosleepNY readers!

One image from Ivana’s “Seldom Seen“, a series of photomontages, depicting the endangered and threatened flora and fauna species of Costa Rica and the causes of their endangerment.

Ivana grew up in rural North Carolina, where she was very much immersed within her natural surroundings. Inspired by her Father’s farming and living off the land, Ivana portrays her love and experiences with organic farming in much of her works. Ivana stated that, “my lacto-ovo vegetarian upbringing combined with early experiences of urban homesteading were an influence that lead to the artwork I make today”. It is no surprise that Ivana’s most popular works are those stemmed from her very own garden (pun intended)!

We asked Ivana what her favorite experiences have been as an artist, in which she explained how blessed she feels to live a creative life, day-by-day. Ivana says, “I spend my time doing something I love so much. Sometimes I have exceptional experiences that are creatively inspiring, especially when I travel to new places. It is hard to pick just one experience”. Luckily, Ivana keeps blog entries on her website, ivanadamiengeorge.com, where you can read more about everything we discuss today in even greater detail.

Ivana emphasizes the importance of a creative connection and the need to live in harmony with the natural world, Mother Earth. “I hope viewers will be inspired by my work to consider how they can live a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle” she said.

When asked what her favorite pieces of her works are, Ivana spoke about her pride in her Glacial Waters Series. She believes that it is the most original art she has created to date, some of which you can view below.

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Creative blocks are something we’ve previously touched base on here at No Sleep New York. After all, every artist faces these challenges at one point or another and have their own ways of handling them. In response for overcoming creative blocks and boosting creativity, Ivana has written a thoughtful article which you can read here. Well worth the read, Ivana outlines four ways to maximize creativity in your work.

We asked Ivana if there is anything she dislikes in her craft. “Sometimes I wish I had another me whose job it was to do all the marketing and business stuff so I could only focus on making art! However to be successful I have to wear all the hats!” she said.

Ivana stated that she is currently pursuing a short documentary film titled “Greening a Food Desert”. Ivana explained that it is a film about USDA food deserts and tells the inspiring story of how one community member started an urban farm in the inner city of Miami to make fresh produce available and affordable to the local population. She also develops works for her ongoing series titled “Sustain” which you can view, here.